Connect with us

Technology

Workers Choose People Over AI at Hiring’s Most Critical Moments, New Staffmark Group Research Finds

Published

on

2026 Heart of Work Index reveals four distinct workforce personas — from the “Face Timer” to the “AI Autopilot” — and shows technology helps fuel the search, while people close the deal.

CINCINNATI, Sept. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Even as artificial intelligence reshapes hiring across industries, most American workers still want a human being guiding them through the process, according to new research released today by Staffmark Group, a leading workforce solutions provider.

The first annual 2026 Heart of Work Index, based on a survey of 3,746 workers across eight industries, scored the overall hiring experience talent wants at 71 out of 100, where 0 represents an all-digital experience and 100 represents an all-human one. The result confirms what many employers have suspected, but few have quantified: when it comes to landing a job, people still want people.

The study identifies four distinct hiring personas, each reflecting a different mix of technology and human interaction. The two most human-oriented groups — nicknamed the Face Timer and the Guided Navigator in the study — together account for 60% of the workforce. The Face Timer wants a real recruiter from the very first conversation to the final offer, while the Guided Navigator is happy to let technology handle logistics as long as a person is steering the relationship. By contrast, the Almost Autonomous and the AI Autopilot — who prefer to self-serve through most or all of the process — make up a combined 40%. Only 18% of workers identify as digital-only.

Where Human Touch Matters Most
The research also pinpoints exactly where human involvement matters most. While job seekers are comfortable using technology to search for openings and build resumes, human interaction becomes the deciding factor once the stakes rise:

Hiring Stage

Prefer Human-Led

Prefer Tech-Led

Resume-Building

54 %

46 %

Job Search & Apply

53 %

47 %

Post-Apply/Pre-Interview

70 %

30 %

Onboarding

64 %

36 %

The gap is widest at the post-application, pre-interview stage — typically the point where anxiety about a candidate’s prospects peaks — where 70% of workers prefer human-led support versus just 30% want a digitally-led experience.

“Speed and technology absolutely have their place, especially at the very top of the hiring funnel, where job seekers want to move fast and explore their options,” said Stacey Lane, CEO of Staffmark Group. “But our research confirms what we’ve built our entire business around: the moment the stakes get real — an interview, an offer, a first day — people want a person in their corner, not a chatbot. The right approach isn’t choosing between the ease and efficiency of technology and the heart of human connection. It’s knowing exactly where each one belongs. That’s how we help our clients compete for talent and actually win, not by replacing the human relationship, but by protecting it at the moments that matter most.”

AI Impact on Workers
One of the study’s biggest surprises is what workers aren’t worried about. Contrary to many headlines surrounding artificial intelligence, only 29% of respondents believe AI could replace their job within the next year, and 58% say AI has not changed the way they work today. Nearly one-third (32%) report AI has positively changed their job and only 10% say it has had a negative change.

Retention Paradox
The study also surfaces a retention warning employers can’t ignore. While 85% of workers report being satisfied in their current role, 43% say they’re burned out and 57% say they’re likely to look for a new job within six months — turnover risk that climbs to 69% in office and administrative and 63% in transportation roles. The findings reflect what organizations across industries are increasingly experiencing: satisfaction no longer guarantees loyalty.

About the Study

The 2026 Heart of Work Survey was conducted on behalf of Staffmark Group by national market data services firm, Attest, in July 2026. The survey was administered online to 3,746 workers across eight industries, including full-time, part-time, and temporary/contract workers ages 18 and older of whom represented a national survey. Click here to view the full key findings.

About Staffmark Group

Staffmark Group is one of the largest staffing companies in the United States and is a portfolio company of RGF Staffing, the Staffing SBU of Recruit Holdings. For more than 55 years, Staffmark Group has delivered the industry’s widest range of tailored workforce solutions through its family of specialty brands, including Staffmark, Advantage Technical, Hunter Hamilton, Digital People, and Employee Management Services (EMS). Operating across a network of over 300 locations, Staffmark Group places over 125,000 talented individuals annually. To learn more about Staffmark Group, visit www.staffmarkgroup.com.

About RGF Staffing:

RGF Staffing is a leading global HR services provider with activities in Asia Pacific, Europe, Japan and North America. Every day around 272,000 people work for businesses and institutions via the RGF Staffing network. RGF Staffing is a part of Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd. For further information please visit www.rgfstaffing.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/workers-choose-people-over-ai-at-hirings-most-critical-moments-new-staffmark-group-research-finds-302867797.html

SOURCE Staffmark Group

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Technology

Synoptek Recognized as a Microsoft Fabric Featured Partner

Published

on

By

COSTA MESA, Calif., Sept. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Synoptek, a leading systems integrator and managed service provider, today announced it has been recognized as a Microsoft Fabric Featured Partner. This designation is awarded to a select group of Microsoft partners who have demonstrated deep technical expertise, proven customer implementations, and a strong track record of delivering successful outcomes on the Microsoft Fabric platform.

To earn this recognition, Synoptek met Microsoft’s qualification criteria, including required certifications, validated client implementation telemetry, and other performance benchmarks that reflect real-world delivery experience with Microsoft Fabric.

“Achieving Fabric Featured Partner status is a testament to our team’s technical expertise and our track record of delivering measurable outcomes for clients, said Shail Rathi, Practice Director, Data Insights at Synoptek. We’re proud of this recognition and excited to build on it.”

As a Fabric Featured Partner, Synoptek helps organizations modernize data platforms, unify analytics environments, and prepare data environments for advanced analytics and AI workloads using Microsoft Fabric’s integrated capabilities across data engineering, data science, real-time intelligence, and business intelligence.

Synoptek’s Fabric practice covers the full analytics lifecycle on the platform, including Lakehouse and Warehouse design using the Medallion architecture, OneLake-based data centralization, Data Factory pipeline orchestration, real-time intelligence with KQL databases and Eventstreams, Power BI integration with OneLake Delta tables, semantic modeling, and end-to-end data governance. The team also helps organizations migrate from legacy Synapse, Databricks, and on-premises platforms to Fabric with validated parity and minimal disruption, and applies AI capabilities such as Copilot and Azure AI Foundry integration to accelerate reporting, data engineering, and governance workflows.

These recognitions represent distinct areas of Fabric expertise. The Fabric Featured Partner designation reflects proven capability across the core Fabric platform, spanning data integration, data engineering, and analytics delivery. The Fabric RTI (Real-Time Intelligence) Featured Partner designation is awarded specifically for demonstrated expertise in real-time workloads, including event stream ingestion, real-time data processing, and visualization through real-time dashboards and Data Activator. The Fabric Databases Featured Partner designation recognizes proven experience implementing Fabric’s database capabilities, a newer addition to the platform that brings transactional data into the same governed environment as the rest of an organization’s analytics estate. Together, the three designations reflect the breadth of Synoptek’s technical expertise across Fabric’s core platform, real-time intelligence, and database capabilities.

About Synoptek

Synoptek is the first global Managed Experience Provider (MxP™), delivering end-to-end IT and digital transformation services that align technology performance with business outcomes. Powered by its aiXops platform, Synoptek provides advisory, integration, and AI-activated managed services across four core pillars: Cloud & Agile Infrastructure, Business Applications & Platforms, Customer & Employee Experience, and Cybersecurity. With 24/7 global delivery, deep industry expertise, and a holistic strategy-to-operations model, Synoptek helps organizations reduce operational burden, accelerate transformation, and continuously evolve their digital capabilities.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/synoptek-recognized-as-a-microsoft-fabric-featured-partner-302866695.html

SOURCE Synoptek

Continue Reading

Technology

OnePay Launches My Garage, Becoming the First Consumer Financial App to Bring the Full Picture of Vehicle Ownership Into One Place

Published

on

By

The vehicle is one of the most valuable assets most Americans own. Now it has a home inside the app where they manage the rest of their money.

NEW YORK, Sept. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — For many Americans, the vehicle in the driveway is one of their most valuable assets and, between loan or lease payments, insurance, and gas, also one of their biggest monthly expenses. Yet its full financial picture — what it’s worth, what’s owed, loan payoff timeline, insurance information — has always been scattered and incomplete, leaving most owners without the data they need to make smarter decisions.

Today, OnePay, the consumer fintech trusted by millions of Americans to make money better, announced the launch of My Garage. Consumers can have access to an up to date vehicle value, loan equity, payoff timeline, auto insurance offers, and gas rewards, all in one place inside the app where they manage the rest of their financial lives.

Instead of hunting across multiple apps for a partial picture, consumers can have one clear financial view into their vehicle. They can watch their payoff timeline shorten as they move toward owning their vehicle outright, and soon will be able to compare auto loan refinance rates. Further, they can compare insurance offers, access gas rewards and more, all without leaving the app.

“Consumers don’t think in terms of financial products. They think about what those products make possible in their lives. And for millions of Americans, owning a car unlocks opportunities. My Garage is about giving people financial visibility into one of the most expensive assets they own but rarely fully understand,” said Pat McLoughlin, GM of Marketplace at OnePay.

My Garage begins rolling out to OnePay customers today. 

About OnePay

OnePay is an all-in-one financial services platform built on the simple belief that better money makes life better. With banking, high-yield savings, credit cards, point-of-sale lending, investment and crypto offerings, OnePay is providing millions of consumers with the tools they need to holistically manage their financial lives in one place. Alongside its expanding consumer offering, OnePay also partners with employers, HCM providers, gig platforms, and others to deliver embedded financial services to millions of employees and frontline workers.

OnePay is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services through OnePay are provided by Coastal Community Bank or Lead Bank, Members FDIC. OnePay debit and credit cards (including the Builder Mastercard®) are issued by partner banks pursuant to licensing by Mastercard® International. Brokerage services through OnePay are provided by One Growth Securities LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Crypto services through OnePay powered by Zero Hash LLC and Zero Hash Liquidity Services LLC through an agreement with OneProgress Assets LLC. Investment and crypto products are not FDIC Insured, not bank guaranteed and may lose value. One Growth Securities LLC does not provide crypto services and OneProgress Assets LLC is not a member of FINRA/SIPC.

Media contact
press@onepay.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/onepay-launches-my-garage-becoming-the-first-consumer-financial-app-to-bring-the-full-picture-of-vehicle-ownership-into-one-place-302867852.html

SOURCE OnePay

Continue Reading

Technology

CovationBio’s Xatryx® Mass Production On Spec, to Debut First Non‑Food Bio‑Based Athletic Insole at NW Materials Show in the U.S.

Published

on

By

QIDONG, China, Sept. 2, 2026 /CNW/ — Covation Biomaterials LLC (“CovationBio”), a leading innovator in bio‑based materials, announces a successful production of its first series of commercial on spec batches of Xatryx.T bioTHF and Xatryx® bioPTMEG. Concurrently, the company, in collaboration with globally renowned insole brand INSITE®, will unveil the world’s first athletic insole featuring Xatryx® bioPTMEG, a non‑food bio‑based material, at the NW Materials Show in Portland, Oregon. This marks a successful application development milestone, showcasing Xatryx® bioPTMEG‘s application from a raw material to a bio‑based footwear building block.

Xatryx® Qidong Plant Mass Production On Spec

Following the mechanical completion of its inaugural 50,000 ton commercial plant for its C4 platform technology in April 2026, CovationBio has rapidly advanced to successful production. In August 2026, the Qidong plant officially initiated the production of its first commercial batches, including Xatryx.T bioTHF as well as Xatryx® bioPTMEG series products in molecular weights of 2000, 1800, and 1000. Under rigorous internal quality control testing, all produced grades adhere to industry expected quality specifications.

Mr. You Feifeng, Chairman of CovationBio, commented, “From mechanical completion to the first commercial batches being on spec, the CovationBio team completed the entire process of equipment commissioning, process optimization, and scale‑up in just four months. The initial on‑spec status of all three molecular weight grades demonstrates the maturity and stability of our proprietary process technology. We are actively collaborating with downstream customers for trial sampling and collecting feedback, which will further validate the performance of our products in end‑use applications and their drop-in adaptability to existing application processes.”

As a sustainable alternative to fossil‑based PTMEG, Xatryx® bioPTMEG can directly replace fossil‑based PTMEG, delivering outstanding product performance in downstream applications such as spandex, polyurethanes, and thermoplastic elastomers while significantly reducing reliance on non‑renewable materials.

Key sustainability advantages of the Xatryx® product include:

Significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing compared to fossil‑based counterparts;Bio‑based content derived from annually renewable non‑food biomass (e.g., agricultural by‑products such as corncobs), avoiding competition with food supply;Reduced dependence on non‑renewable fossil fuels;Drop‑in solution for downstream customers, requiring no major process adjustments when switching to bio‑based materials.

INSITE ® and CovationBio® Collaborate to Deliver the First Partially Bio‑Based Athletic Insole made with Xatryx®

Alongside the production milestone, CovationBio is actively collaborating with the value chain to develop various downstream applications of Xatryx®. On September 2–3, 2026, at the NW Materials Show in Portland, CovationBio will co‑host the “Next‑Generation Bio‑Based Footwear Materials Application Forum” with INSITE®, a globally recognized insole brand, and officially introduce the world’s first partially non‑food bio‑based athletic insole with Xatryx®.

This innovative insole product uses Xatryx® bioPTMEG as its core raw material, extending non‑food bio‑based materials from industrial feedstock to everyday athletic footwear. INSITE®, with its deep expertise in footwear biomechanics and podiatric design, joins forces with CovationBio in this cross‑industry collaboration, setting a new benchmark for sustainable materials in the insole industry.

Dr. Zhao Mosha, Global Marketing Director of CovationBio’s C4 Platform, stated, “From the on‑spec mass‑production of Xatryx® at Qidong plant to the end‑product launch at the Portland footwear show, together with INSITE® we have achieved the leap from ‘raw materials to end use’ within just a few weeks. This is not only a technological milestone for both companies, but also a great example that with the drop-in capability of Xatryx® to replace fossil-based incumbent and the whole value chain innovative collaboration, the non‑food bio‑based material industry can move from concept to reality very efficiently. We look forward to joining hands with INSITE® and value‑chain partners of more applications to drive the sustainable transformation of the materials industry.”

The NW Materials Show is one of the most influential professional exhibitions in the global footwear materials and functional fabrics sector. At the event, the CovationBio team will explain how Xatryx® empowers the footwear material supply chain and how it will work with global value‑chain partners to advance sustainable development strategies.

About CovationBio®

Covation Biomaterials LLC (CovationBio®) was established in 2022 and is headquartered in Newark, Delaware. The company possesses advanced and innovative technologies in the bio‑based materials field, focusing on offering a portfolio of high‑performance and sustainable solutions. Building on DuPont’s pioneering scientific innovation legacy, CovationBio provides innovative solutions for industries in apparel, footwear, and carpet. Through its brands which include Xatryx® and Sorona®, CovationBio delivers essential materials that help create bio‑based products within reach for every customer.

CovationBio®, Xatryx® and Sorona® are trademarks of Covation Biomaterials or its affiliates.

Disclaimer: The above statements regarding greenhouse gas emissions assessment and product performance are based on internal testing results conducted by Covation Biomaterials LLC using representative methods. Actual results may vary depending on specific application scenarios and conditions of use.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/covationbios-xatryx-mass-production-on-spec-to-debut-first-nonfood-biobased-athletic-insole-at-nw-materials-show-in-the-us-302867455.html

SOURCE Covation Biomaterials LLC

Continue Reading

Trending